Why sitting for long periods of time is bad for your health

Most of us have to sit through the entire time we are working. With the work from home culture becoming a norm, we spend our days sitting on the chair or the couch while working, making minimal physical movement. However, that’s where the problem lies. Sitting for prolonged time can invite several illnesses and also slowly kill us.

According to an article by New York Post, sitting for prolonged hours can lead to obesity, muscle weakening, spinal stress, poor blood sugar regulation and decreased blood circulation throughout the body. It is unhealthy for back, waist, hips and the heart health as well.

Sitting can accelerate aging:
According to a study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association in February 2024, older women who sat for more than eleven hours in a day had 57% more risk of premature death than the ones who sat for less than nine and half hours in a day.

According to the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, it is advised for adults to have a workout routine not less than 150 minutes, focusing on moderate-intensity physical workout. It also advises adults to have two days of muscle strengthening routine in a week.

However, Marc Hamilton, Professor, Biology and Biochemistry, University of Houston, said last year that 30 minutes’ worth of moderate level workout cannot balance the body from what we do for the rest of the 23 hours and 30 minutes in a day. Human bodies are built to move around throughout the day, and not sit idle, the professor added.

Tips to pull ourselves out of our sit-uation:
Make time to move: Have a fixed time in a day when you can work out. It can be as simple as going for a walk or cycling. In case we want to push it a level higher, we can climb an elevated terrain, or slow cycle for more effect.

Standing desk: Instead of sitting on a chair or a couch throughout day, we can consider having a standing desk at work. Standing desk ensures that we move a lot more, and burn more energy.

Fidget around: Even when we are working or talking in a meeting, it is advised to walk around, or move our legs, or flex our feet. Experts spoke to The Times and recommended shifting our physical position every 30 minutes. Adjusting the leg and spine positions, or working by sitting and standing every alternate 30 minutes can help us be healthier.